You can essentially think of me as a hero. That's right: Mathew Mahendra Mouck is a hero. Triple M to the rescue. My hero name is M^3. M-Cubed.
During winter break, I saved my friend from not being a true teenager. Her problem: she had never seen The Breakfast Club. As you can tell, I'm really tackling the important issues here.
Ok, so I might not really be a hero but it was very important that she see this before she turns 20 and immediately starts crocheting and getting wrinkles. That's how age works right?
I don't know if you've ever seen a vulture or hawk attack its prey, but essentially that's what my friend group did when this girl mentioned that she hadn't seen the movie. She's lucky she has such good friends to berate her for her transgressions until she felt compelled to watch the movie. Just kidding, she didn't actually have a choice because we started to watch the movie approximately 10 minutes after discovering her affront to teenage customs.
So the quote this week is from The Breakfast Club.
"Dear Mr. Vernon,
We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us. In the simplest terms, the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?
Sincerely,
The Breakfast Club"
I HAVE to make a comment on the grammar before I start discussing the quote. WHY, why, why does it have to have "and" for every stereotype EXCEPT "princess?" What is the reason for dropping it?! You had such good polysyndeton and then it just ended. Ugh, ok whatever rant over.
So, this movie is the quintessential teenage-angst movie. And that's why we love it. The overdramatic situations are pretty much exactly what teenagers still do today.
And there really are a lot of quotes I could have chosen from this movie, such as "We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all." But for some reason, I am more drawn to the end quote. And that's possibly because the movie really tries to make the quote poignant with the Bender fist-bump at the end.
And I chose this quote because I think our modern times has actually made a lot of progress with the message. At least when I was in high school, most people (not all, but most) wouldn't fit neatly into one stereotype such as jock or nerd. I mean, there are so many people who are a combination of studious, athletic, artistic, musically-inclined, and every other adjective. But what's more, people who leaned into certain groups were still friends with people from other "groups." I think a football player being friends with the valedictorian would've been some sort of taboo, evil omen about 80 years ago. But in my high school, that's exactly how it was. People are divergent. And that's awesome.
I want to give a nod towards Penn State for having general education courses. Although they can be a pain, especially if you're trying to double major or minor, I still think they're good. It helps people see the other sides, which is sort of like an educational form of The Breakfast Club instead of a social form.
The literary equivalent:
So I'm actually not really sure there is a perfect equivalent for this type of thing. I haven't honestly read too many books that deal specifically with this type of adolescence. If I had to guess, The Perks of Being a Wallflower likely has good quotes; however, I haven't read that book, so by principle, I can't use it (since that's the whole point of this blog). However, there is the quote from To Kill a Mockingbird that fits:
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."
This doesn't really show that each of use is made up of different traits and that we are not static people, but it does indicate that we need to look beyond the surface of ourselves. Therefore, the same message of reflection and complexity of people exists in both quotes. However, I still think the quotes serve different purposes. The Breakfast Club quote really details that people are more than how others perceive them. It breaks down labels. It makes you think about yourself.
On a final note, I think we all should emulate Bender and fist-bump the air. Do it right now. But do it with the same confidence he had. I just did it in my dorm. It feels really good! It feels like I just accompilshed something.
During winter break, I saved my friend from not being a true teenager. Her problem: she had never seen The Breakfast Club. As you can tell, I'm really tackling the important issues here.
Ok, so I might not really be a hero but it was very important that she see this before she turns 20 and immediately starts crocheting and getting wrinkles. That's how age works right?
I don't know if you've ever seen a vulture or hawk attack its prey, but essentially that's what my friend group did when this girl mentioned that she hadn't seen the movie. She's lucky she has such good friends to berate her for her transgressions until she felt compelled to watch the movie. Just kidding, she didn't actually have a choice because we started to watch the movie approximately 10 minutes after discovering her affront to teenage customs.
So the quote this week is from The Breakfast Club.
"Dear Mr. Vernon,
We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us. In the simplest terms, the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?
Sincerely,
The Breakfast Club"
I HAVE to make a comment on the grammar before I start discussing the quote. WHY, why, why does it have to have "and" for every stereotype EXCEPT "princess?" What is the reason for dropping it?! You had such good polysyndeton and then it just ended. Ugh, ok whatever rant over.
So, this movie is the quintessential teenage-angst movie. And that's why we love it. The overdramatic situations are pretty much exactly what teenagers still do today.
And there really are a lot of quotes I could have chosen from this movie, such as "We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all." But for some reason, I am more drawn to the end quote. And that's possibly because the movie really tries to make the quote poignant with the Bender fist-bump at the end.
And I chose this quote because I think our modern times has actually made a lot of progress with the message. At least when I was in high school, most people (not all, but most) wouldn't fit neatly into one stereotype such as jock or nerd. I mean, there are so many people who are a combination of studious, athletic, artistic, musically-inclined, and every other adjective. But what's more, people who leaned into certain groups were still friends with people from other "groups." I think a football player being friends with the valedictorian would've been some sort of taboo, evil omen about 80 years ago. But in my high school, that's exactly how it was. People are divergent. And that's awesome.
I want to give a nod towards Penn State for having general education courses. Although they can be a pain, especially if you're trying to double major or minor, I still think they're good. It helps people see the other sides, which is sort of like an educational form of The Breakfast Club instead of a social form.
The literary equivalent:
So I'm actually not really sure there is a perfect equivalent for this type of thing. I haven't honestly read too many books that deal specifically with this type of adolescence. If I had to guess, The Perks of Being a Wallflower likely has good quotes; however, I haven't read that book, so by principle, I can't use it (since that's the whole point of this blog). However, there is the quote from To Kill a Mockingbird that fits:
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."
This doesn't really show that each of use is made up of different traits and that we are not static people, but it does indicate that we need to look beyond the surface of ourselves. Therefore, the same message of reflection and complexity of people exists in both quotes. However, I still think the quotes serve different purposes. The Breakfast Club quote really details that people are more than how others perceive them. It breaks down labels. It makes you think about yourself.
On a final note, I think we all should emulate Bender and fist-bump the air. Do it right now. But do it with the same confidence he had. I just did it in my dorm. It feels really good! It feels like I just accompilshed something.
Matt, I enjoy your blog immensely. I smiled so many times while reading this post: forcing your friend to watch the movie, the "crocheting and wrinkles" line, the fact that you mourn the missed opportunity for a solid polysyndeton, the connection with TKAM, and finally, the thought of you fist bumping the air in your dorm room.
ReplyDeleteCarry on. This is gold.